CDC's Dr. John Iskander and Dr. Janet Wright discuss the progress that has been made with Million Hearts®, along with the work that is still needed to reach the goal of preventing one million heart attacks and strokes by 2017.
Providers should:
- Utilize electronic health records to proactively reach individuals with elevated blood pressure or cholesterol
- Place emphasis on detecting cases of uncontrolled high blood pressure which are hiding in plain sight
Communities can:
- Implement smoke-free policies to lower exposure to smoke
- Adopt food procurement policies that make healthier foods more readily available
- Encourage and train individuals to self-monitor their blood pressure
